6 Meals a Day
I recently changed my diet to start eating 6 meals a day. When I was following a more traditional diet consisting of 3 meals a day I was having problems controlling my hunger between meals and I would end up snacking on something I would regret later on. I’ve discovered that by eating more frequent meals I eat less at each meal and I am able to control my cravings because I am eating more often.
Eating multiple smaller meals has many health benefits in addition to controlling your appetite. Increased meal frequency stimulates fat burning, improves the bodys use of protein, and preserves lean muscle. A diet consisting of more meals also helps with mental performance by helping you think and process information more effectively, increasing your attention span, and improving your mood.
A typical day for me includes the following:
- Breakfast – A bowl of cereal.
- Midmorning – A piece of fruit.
- Lunch – A sandwich on whole wheat bread and some yogurt.
- Afternoon – A piece of fruit and a granola bar. (I like the Honey Almond Flax granola bars from Kashi).
- Dinner – A meal consisting of Chicken, Fish, Turkey, or something Vegetarian.
- Midevening – Popcorn and a piece of fruit or granola bar.
I don’t maintain this regimen every single day of the week but I do try to follow it strictly for 4-5 days a week. This diet is pretty easy to follow during the week when I am at work. At work I have a routine and I’m usually preoccupied plus I don’t have easy access to my kitchen. The problem I have is on the weekends. I consider myself a foodie and I love to cook. I’m always looking for new recipes and ingredients to improve upon this diet plan. Cooking and eating are two of the best things in life so never stop looking for a better meal.
Last Updated on July 3rd, 2006
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Sounds familiar. My typical day is almost the same.
Breakfast: Cereal(maybe some fruit or almonds too)
Midmorning: Banana or Kashi TLC
Lunch: Chicken or Fish with Veggies and roll
Afternoon: TLC or Clif Builder(on workout days)
Dinner: Chicken, Fish, Turkey and vegables(maybe some rice or plantains if my wife insists)
MidEvening: Protein shake or low fat cottage cheese w/ low sugar strawberry jelly
I also have a hard time on weekends. The best thing is to get out of the house.
I don’t agree with the 5-6 meals a day. I have tried doing this and always packed on the pounds. If you constantly stuff your face all day long; yes even “small” snacks throughout the day, you never train your body to use it’s reserves (i e fat). If I eat once a day,(dinner), I can feel hunger pains during the day and I know my body is burning fat. I can actually feel my body getting harder when I am hungry because it is burning its fat reserves. If I eat 5-6 times a day….I NEVER feel hungry and in fact I get fatter because my body is always being fed and is not using its reserves. Ever hear of “eat only when you are hungry?”. How can you be hungry when when you are eating 6X/day?
What’s nice about eating once a day is that you really don’t have to worry about eating too much in one sitting….most likely you will stay in your daily caloric intake range if only eating one meal. Sorry….I stay at a lean 136 pounds by eating once a day.
to be honest most people store fat when the body feels hungry your body naturally goes “oh no i’m starving” and stores weight to make up the difference of you not eating. If you eat 6 times a day and eat right and take in good calories instead of junk and always burn what you eat then you will loose weight. you metabolism maybe be fast then most and if so i’m happy for you but for most it dosnt work like that. plus eating once is veerry unlikely for most
RT, that is the worst post ever. You obviously are not eating small enough portions those 6x a day if you are never hungry when you eat. When you set your diet up for 5-6 meals a day you should be getting hungry each time you eat. Also, exercise is the key to weight loss and maintaining health. If you have a low energy surplus from the small meals you consumed and you workout you will quickly begin to burn reserve energy supplies…AKA FAT. Another key to this type of diet is that you are eating HEALTHY 6 times per day. Getting fiber and protein and other nutrients to regulate your metabolism and supply energy to your body.
Eating once a day is terrible for you. It grinds your metabolism to a halt. Your body goes into a survival mode of processing the food extremely slowly because it doesn’t know when it will be fed again. Hunger pains do not mean you are losing weight, they mean your body is telling you that you are doing something unhealthy.
Also, consuming that many calories and nutrients at once creates an enormous surplus of energy and these nutrients will be stored as fat unless you use that energy soon after.
i actually tried eating six times a day with specific foods to help trian my meabolism and burn fat, it helped i lost 5 pounds per week. the sad part is boiled eggs was on the menu and i HATE them so I stopped it all together. SHAME ON ME!! I am looking to begin this regimen up again in hopes to lose at least 30 pounds before March. Wish me luck. Oh and R.T. i also find youre statement false! It is medically proven certain body types do very well with 5-6 SMALL meals a day. starving yourself and only eating once is just foolish. READ, EDYCATE yourself before you go on ranting about what actually works for MOST ppl.
Hi, Ive been reducing my portions a lot lately, and eating healthy, 3x a day. I lost maybe 10 pounds and then it stopped. I stayed the same weight. This is now my second week on the 6 meals a day and its perfect for me, since my blood sugar gets low between meals (the 3 meals a day plan) I get really tired and exhausted. Eating 6 meals a day keeps me focused and on track. I never feel bloated after eating anymore. Although, the first saturday after i started the diet I ate at the restuarent and had lean meat (they put full of sauce all over it) with a ceasar salad(they put a lot of dressing on it) I ate 3 or 4 bits, got full and then got sick! My body doesnt allow me to eat fat food anymore. So I never get cravings for ‘bad foods’. Its kind of great. I actually lost 4 pounds in my first week, and the best thing about this diet, is that it doesnt feel like a diet! Anyways, enough talking heres a sample of my day which i created:
Breakfast: 1 whole wheat toast
(7:00) little bit of peanut butter
1 banana
1 small glass of milk.
Snack: 1 pear
(8:30) 8 almonds
Snack: 3/4 cup yogurt (fat free)
(10:00) handful of raspberries and oats in it
Lunch: 1/2 lean turkey sandwhich (whole wheat)
(12:30) loads of lettuce and tomatoe
little mayo
Snack: 1/2 cup of carrotes
(14:30) Cheese (size of thumb)
Supper: 1/4 lb chicken
(17:30) whole wheat pasta
red sauce
vegetables of choice.
its important to have proteins in every meal to keep you going. heres a recipe i found this week. It tastes very good, and its healthy!
http://www.thenateshow.com/tipsandtools/detail/marias-healthy-stuffed-chicken
Hope this helped!! Enjoy!!
Heres another day:
Breakfast: Raspberry shake!
handfull of raspberrries
2 cups of soy milk
1 banana
1 pack of splenda (if you dont find it sweet enough)
Snack: 3/4 cup of yogurt
add fruit and oats
snack: Cheese (size of thumb)
4 crackers
Lunch: 1/2 sandwhich of lean roast beef
add loads of lettuce and tomatoes
little mayo
whole wheat bread
Snack: 1/2 cup cucumber
Supper: 1/4 lb salmon
brown rice
choice of vegetables
My snacks generally remain the same, if you get bored of 1/2 sandwhich you can use 1 whole wheat tortilla to replace.